The Hermit

Card 9

Virgo

YOD

Botanical: Sage Salvia officinalis

Affirmation: I turn my attention inward now to converse with God, for we are not separate. 

Keywords: alchemical transformation, wisdom, inner teacher, union, completion, self-realization initiation, god figure, turning within, maturity, guide, introspection

The hermit carries a light, an inner wisdom that helps him find his way. He offers blessings in the form of guidance and offers us his wisdom.  One of his many titles is Psychopompos; the guide of the soul through the underworld- for that is what he does.  He can be found very often in visions and symbols that appear to us.  He may come to us in dreams and give counsel.  What is actually taking place here is that the veil that normally separates the consciousness from the unconscious mind is being bridged and so you are accessing greater parts of yourself.  Just as you are the dreamer you are also the wise one who speaks to the dreamer; the Hermit lives inside of each of us-he is alive in you! 

He  is the one who connects to spirit; his own and the larger one. He has assimilated the experiences of his past and lives in the present moment, not looking ahead or behind himself.  He is the mystic, and offers you a direct experience with the divine. If you have lost your way, the hermit will offer you new hope and aid in finding meaning and passion in your life. His gift is to help you locate your own inner fire again and to nurture that spark. He will help you now find that which is truly meaningful and important. 

 You must turn partially inward, retreat into yourself to locate him.  This means to withdraw for a brief time from the outer world in order to awaken the inner self. To know oneself truly one must retreat from the normal affairs of life to ask oneself ‘who is there’. You are in a transition now, and through meditation and conscious analysis you can begin to allow the hidden parts of the psyche to begin to emerge and speak to you. 

This period of time that has enshrouded you is not permanent and it is important to remember it is not a place to linger unnecessarily or to crystalize.  The purpose of this respite is to shed light on your true self and reconcile the past- so that you can re-emerge with a sharper compass and brighter light in which to help others find theirs.  Once you have taken the time to rekindle your fire and make peace with the past you may reenter the world with a more updated version of who you are in the greater cosmos; seeing mundane and sacred as two sides of the same coin.  Then all that is done in life becomes sacred- it all becomes a form of service to the Divine force; sweeping, cleaning, daily drives to work can become a beacon.  And this is how the lights turn on in each home growing ever brighter.  It starts one at a time and multiplies to mirror the force of the great sun. 

Sage flower essence is featured here for integrating our body to higher realms and inviting in blessings and light. It will help us access the wisdom we carry deep within ourselves and enlighten us to see spirit in everything. It is no mistake that this plant was blessed with the name Sage; the wise one.